The Railway Network
The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 was arguably the first in which the railways played a pivotal role in the timely and organised delivery to the battlefield of vast quantities of troops and supplies. Recognising the importance of the railway infrastructure, the Prussians and the Bavarians each had their own railway troops.
With regard to the 1875 Invasion of Britain, an earlier post considers the planned German advance from Shoreham, via Horsham, to Dorking. This route follows one of the many lines owned and run by the London Brighton & South Coast Railway (LBSC).
In 1875 the LBSC was also running its own distinctively liveried engines and stock on the East London Line, via the former Thames Foot Tunnel which by then had been converted to double rail. The Thames Tunnel crossed under the river between Rotherhithe and Wapping enabling trains to run through to Croydon West and thence onto Dorking, Horsham, Shoreham, etc. This service facilitated the movement of goods from the South Coast to the East End ports and in doing so, also provides the means to move men and supplies to/from East London and Essex, across Kent and Surrey, to Sussex.
A map from 1915, which shows connections to the East End railways:
The distinctive LBSC livery on a 0-6-0T Terrier:
The names and numbers of the 0-6-0T Terriers introduced up to and including 1875 were as follows:
Fenchurch Street Station, a railway terminus north of The Thames in London, after which the first LB&SCR Terrier was named, photographed circa 1905:
